                  Buffalo Hunter to Grand Master 

                    by JOSEPH E. BENNETT, 33 
                    507 9th Street, Box 1928, 
                       Bandera, Texas 78003 


  John William Poe, almost forgotten in the pages of history, led 
a long and eventful life well into the twentieth century. His 
story unfolds in Maysville, Kentucky, in 1850, where the boy 
destined to become a legendary pioneer and an honorable Mason was 
born. 

  At a young age, Poe worked his way to Fort Griffin, Texas, 
where he found jobs as a farm hand, railroad laborer, wolf 
hunter, and woodcutter. By 1873, he had made enough money to 
pursue his chosen profession  hunting buffalo. His original 
hunting party consisted of himself, his friend John Jacobs, and a 
skinner. They ventured onto the Texas plains as tenderfeet, but 
learned fast. Poe became one of the finest marksmen in the trade. 
In their first season the party harvested 1,100 buffalo hides. 
The second season netted the partners 10,000 hides. 

  John Poe often stated that he had killed 20,000 buffalo in four 
years out of Fort Griffin, and he was never contradicted. Today, 
that number seems shocking. 

 In the 1870s, however, most Texans believed they would get rid 
of the Indians only when the buffalo were gone. Without their 
main food supply, the western tribes would either starve or move 
to a reservation. It was also suspected that herds of domestic 
cattle could not be raised successfully as long as the buffalo 
dominated the open range. Of course, the primary motive for 
hunters was the high price paid for hides. 

  By 1878, Poe and Jacobs realized the days of the buffalo were 
almost gone, and the two partners searched for another money-
making venture. They sold their equipment, pooled their savings, 
and purchased a herd of sheep. When Jacobs decided to get 
married, Poe became a silent partner in the sheep venture and 
went to work as a Deputy United States Marshal in Fort Griffin. 

  An honest and hard-working citizen, an expert with rifle and 
six gun, Poe tackled the difficult job with his customary 
dedication. Fort Griffin provided for the commercial needs of the 
military complement there, but the town had attracted the most 
unsavory and lawless collection of humanity on the frontier. 

  When Poe arrived, murder was part of everyday life. That 
changed quickly and the townspeople soon gave him the job of Town 
Marshal. Reluctant to settle a dispute with a gun, Poe's 
reputation as a fair and capable Marshal spread throughout the 
territory. 

  John Poe spent a year in Fort Griffin before moving to Wheeler 
County. There, at Fort Elliott, he continued as a Deputy United 
States Marshal and a Deputy Sheriff. Citizens soon urged him to 
run for Sheriff, but voter apathy caused Poe to lose the 
election. The townspeople were so sure he'd win, many did not 
even bother to vote. Poe, disgusted with Wheeler County politics, 
accepted a position as investigator for the newly formed Canadian 
Cattleman's Association. 

  His job was to trace and obtain evidence against cattle 
rustlers, who were a severe problem at the time. Poe learned that 
rustlers infiltrated western Texas from New Mexico, running the 
stolen herds of cattle back into Lincoln County. Billy the Kid 
(William H. Bonney) was one of many suspects, but Poe's 
investigations lead him to White Oaks, a little mining town in 
Lincoln County, New Mexico. The trail ended at Pat Coghlin, 
called "the King of the Tularosa," whose large Three Rivers Ranch 
in New Mexico appeared to be the gathering place for Texas beef. 

  With the help of Sheriff Pat Garrett of Lincoln County, Poe 
gathered enough evidence to indict Coghlin and hold him for 
trial. When Poe turned up two valuable witnesses, Mr. and Mrs. 
Nesbitt, Coghlin's conviction seemed assured. 

  While Poe was finishing up the Coghlin investigation, Garrett 
had captured Billy the Kid in a famous shootout at Stinking 
Springs in December 1880. Billy was tried in Mesilla the 
following April for the murder of Sheriff William Brady during 
the Lincoln County Cattle War, found guilty, and sentenced to 
hang in May. 

  Before the sentence could be carried out, however, he escaped 
from the courthouse jail in Lincoln, killing two of Sheriff 
Garrett's deputies. The search carried on into July, but by then 
Garrett was convinced William Bonney had long since fled to Old 
Mexico. John Poe, still working in White Oaks, received 
information which cast some doubt on that theory. 

  An informer befriended by Poe approached him in White Oaks with 
a story that Billy the Kid was still in the area, probably 
staying with a girlfriend in Fort Sumner. Poe doubted the tale at 
first, but when the informant persisted, he became convinced 
Bonney was in Fort Sumner. Poe relayed the information to Pat 
Garrett, who received the report with a snort of disbelief, but 
agreed to look into it. Not wanting to alert the outlaw, Sheriff 
Garrett chose only two deputies to assist him  John Poe and Tip 
McKinney of Roswell, New Mexico. 

  The lawmen approached Fort Sumner from different directions. 
Poe, who was unknown in the town, questioned citizens about Billy 
the Kid, but they were reluctant to talk about the outlaw. 
Garrett decided to ask Pete Maxwell, an old friend who owned a 
sheep ranch in Fort Sumner, for information. About 11:00 PM on 
July 14, 1881, the three officers stepped on the porch of 
Maxwell's house. Garrett instructed Poe and McKinney to wait 
outside while he entered alone. 

  As the two Deputies waited in the dark shadows of the porch, a 
silent figure in stocking feet passed them. Since he was unknown 
to both, they did not challenge him. He was Billy the Kid. 

  William Bonney walked through the doorway where Garrett had 
entered only a few minutes before. Suddenly, a shot rang out, 
then another. Garrett had killed the famous outlaw with his first 
shot. Although Poe and McKinney played small roles in the fatal 
shooting, Poe received more publicity for this than any other 
incident in his career. 

  Although Billy the Kid was dead, other matters demanded Poe's 
attention. The trial of Pat Coghlin was about to start. The 
prosecution's case against Coghlin seemed airtight. Just before 
the trial, however, the principal witnesses, Mr. and Mrs. 
Nesbitt, were mysteriously murdered in desolate White Sands, New 
Mexico. Their killers were never found. 

  The loss of the Nesbitts was a crushing blow to the 
prosecution, and Coghlin was acquitted. Although Poe's hard work 
had been for nothing, Pat Coghlin's life was never the same. His 
wealth, friends, and associates steadily evaporated, and he died 
within a few years of his acquittal, lonely and almost penniless. 

  The year 1881 was not a total loss for John W. Poe, however, as 
he met his future wife, Sophie Alberding, a native of Illinois 
who moved to Roswell, New Mexico, to be near her brother, Fred. 
Through the maneuvering of Captain Lea, Miss Alberding's host in 
Roswell, and Sheriff Pat Garrett, she was introduced to John Poe 
and urged to consider him as a possible choice for her husband. 

  Initially irritated by the meddling of her well-meaning 
friends, Sophie was soon smitten with the tall, handsome John 
Poe. Poe, however, felt he did not have enough income to support 
a wife and their wedding was put on hold for many months. 

  An opportunity for employment surfaced in November 1882. Pat 
Garrett, widely criticized for shooting Billy the Kid, had 
decided not to run for reelection as Sheriff of Lincoln County. 
John Poe was urged to run for the vacant office. He easily beat a 
formidable opponent, J. J. Dolan, of Lincoln County Cattle War 
fame, but realized he would rarely be able to visit Sophie in 
Roswell. The only solution was to marry her and establish their 
home in Lincoln County. She agreed, and they were married in the 
spring of 1883. 

  The Poes lived in an apartment above the courthouse in Lincoln 
for about a year. In fact, their bedroom was the very room from 
which Billy the Kid had killed Ollinger and Bell, Pat Garrett's 
two deputies. John soon purchased the VV Ranch, a beautiful, but 
remote piece of land about fifteen miles from old Fort Stanton. 

  Poe was away much of the time with his work as Sheriff, and 
Sophie was left alone. Their only child was born February 4, 
1884, but lived only a few hours. The difficult pregnancy was 
followed by many weeks of recovery. Poe decided that he should 
give up his position as Sheriff because of his concern for his 
wife, and did so before his term expired. He announced that they 
were about to take the long-delayed honeymoon. 

  An extended vacation for John and Sophie included a stop at Hot 
Springs, Arkansas, a popular spa of the day. They also journeyed 
to Kansas to visit Poe's parents, who had moved there from 
Kentucky. Finally, they returned to Roswell, New Mexico. Poe 
surprised everyone when he announced that he and a friend, C. 
Smith Lea, were going to South America to inspect land for a 
possible ranch site. Sophie would await him in Roswell.  

  Poe and Lea departed for Argentina in January 1887. They 
finally arrived and were enchanted by the lush pampas and the 
towering Andes. Unlimited land could be purchased for twenty-five 
cents an acre. They included Paraguay in their tour, too. Poe, 
always prudent, declined to make any decision before he thought 
it over for a while. He had ample opportunity on the return sea 
voyage back to the states. Upon arriving at Roswell, he announced 
that he had decided to stay in New Mexico and put some of the new 
ideas he had learned in South America to work. 

  John bought some land near Roswell and established the first 
"modern" stock farm in the territory. He raised cattle in small 
fenced fields, supplementing their grazing feed with alfalfa 
raised in his irrigated fields. He upgraded his herd by careful 
breeding with blooded stock. His land and cattle flourished, and 
his neighbors finally conceded that Poe was not insane, but 
actually a very able farmer and stockman. The farm continued to 
prosper for nine years, until one day when John decided to sell 
everything and go into banking. 

  The Bank of Roswell opened in 1890, with Poe holding a 
substantial block of stock. He became President of the thriving 
concern three years later. He held this office until 1899, when 
the stockholders voted to become "nationalized." Poe decided to 
sell his stock and start another bank. In 1900, he launched the 
Citizens' Bank of Roswell and held the position of President 
until his death. 

  During his banking years, the city grew from a cowtown into a 
thriving city. John Poe became an important civic figure in 
Roswell and, eventually, in all of New Mexico. Among the more 
important civic posts he held after New Mexico became a state in 
1912, was president of the New Mexico State Tax Commission and as 
fuel administrator for New Mexico during World War I. 

  Masonry was always an important part of John Poe's life. He 
joined Fort Griffin Lodge No. 489, and became their first Master 
Mason on February 1, 1879. He later demitted to become a charter 
member of Roswell Lodge No. 18. Poe was the first to receive the 
Royal Arch Degrees in Columbia Chapter No. 7, and the first to be 
Knighted in Rio Hondo Commandery No. 6, in Roswell. He presided 
in all these Bodies, eventually moving on to even greater Masonic 
achievements. 

  He served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Mexico and 
Grand High Priest of Royal Arch Masons, 1898-99; and Grand 
Commander of Knights Templar of New Mexico, 1910-11. Poe received 
the 33 Honorary in the Scottish Rite at Kansas City in 1907. He 
was a member of the Bodies of Santa Fe at the time of his death, 
completing a career of forty-four Masonic years. 

  John Poe, age 73, passed away in Battle Creek, Michigan, on 
July 17, 1923. His wife, Sophie, was enroute to his bedside when 
she received the news that her husband had died. The city of 
Roswell was shocked and saddened by his death. The front page of 
the evening newspaper of Roswell was devoted to an account of his 
amazing life and adventures, and included numerous tributes to 
his contributions as a citizen. The accolade that would have 
pleased the old buffalo hunter most was the title "friend of man" 
conferred on Poe by the publication. They could have paid him no 
greater compliment. 

  The life of John William Poe is a shining page in the history 
of Freemasonry and the Old Southwest. In the midst of violence, 
lawlessness, and unending hardship, he remained honest, 
steadfast, and true to his principles. His life spanned the days 
of the Texas frontier to modern existence in New Mexico, and he 
was successful in every situation in which he found himself. 
Countless thousands of Americans have benefitted in some degree 
by his lifelong efforts in Texas and New Mexico. John Poe served 
mankind all his life. No man could do more. 

------

JOSEPH E. BENNETT is a Past District Deputy Grand Master of Ohio. 
Now living in Texas, Bro Bennett is the recipient of the 
national Philalethes Society 1988 Literary Award for best article 
published during the year. 


